🔴 LIVE: Martin Green Press Conference Ahead of the Eurovision 2026 Grand Final

Added: 2026-05-18

[00:02:48]Can't wait for the minutes when the final show will start.

[00:02:51]>> And I think that's a great moment for a big round of applause for the team.

[00:02:56]>> You don't see them all always, but they are here.

[00:03:01]So what was especially important for the O of in covering this event?

[00:03:06]>> Yeah, I think uh we all did a very um comprehensive uh reporting on all the side events. We had 100 hours of live coverage from our glass studio in the Euro Vision village at Rat House Blatz television, radio, online everywhere.

[00:03:24]And you know what really thrills me about it is that a lot of young people are following us are following Eurovvision Song Contest. Our market shares in the very young group of people from 12 to 29 was up to 50%. So young people don't want to miss out Eurovvision Song Contest. I I think that's a very good message that it is it is a show for everybody and is also for the young audience and that's very important and we are happy and glad that we could cover that. So as tonight is the show the grand final show night um let us go and see a little bit to the future. So what will remain from this Eurovvision Song Contest? Well, I hope that um two or three things will remain.

[00:04:11]All your thoughts seeing what Austria is standing for. Austria as an open-minded cultural and event country. Vienna as an international music and media metropolis and of course as a company as a media company who can really host the biggest events at a top top international level.

[00:04:33]And if you think about that in the coming days and weeks and maybe also years going back home and having these memories from this special Eurovision Song Contest, it will make me and my team really really happy. Thank you so much, Ingred.

[00:04:52]ML, you have been at the center of this production for months, almost a year now. When we started, I remember the first press conference we were holding in the OF. Um, now we are here grand final day. What are your favorite memories?

[00:05:07]>> Uh, there's a lot of memories. I think the favorite memories are uh working on on the shows and having having this crisis once in a while and then bringing the people together and and trying to work out a solution and all all the the small or bigger crisis brought us to where we are now and and and uh to what we think is a very very special emotional show uh that we put to ground and and so the the whole evolving of this is is my favorite memory I think. Yeah.

[00:05:49]>> And uh did everything happened the way you imagined or were there still moments that surprised you?

[00:05:54]>> There were surprises all over, right?

[00:05:58]Almost nothing uh was the way I imagined it. But uh it was most of the things were a lot bigger and more emotional and and greater than I expected them. And I think we achieved to create a very good uh bow of emotion from the start in the first semi where we celebrated the life of Tony and 70 years of Eurovision to the end of the confir with the the the love story of this the beautiful city we're in right now with Vienna. Uh that's what we wanted. We wanted to have it a little bit different than the years before, a little bit more uh little smaller, a little bit more emotional. And I I hope that you think uh what we think that we achieved this goal. So I'm I'm very happy. But of course, not everything worked out, but a lot of things worked out.

[00:06:58]>> A lot worked out. And that's great. If you had to describe this whole experience like in one sentence, I know that's hard, but you could try. What would that sentence be?

[00:07:09]>> I'm the most lucky man on this planet tonight. A >> that's phrase.

[00:07:22]>> Norbert, let's uh begin or start with you now because you have another point of view because the Eurovision Song Contest isn't only a TV event. Vienna turned in a citywide experience, right?

[00:07:36]and you made that happen. Um, the city of Vienna invested up to€22.6 million euros in the Euros song contest.

[00:07:43]Looking back at the past days, let's be honest. Do you think this investment has paid off?

[00:07:50]>> Good evening. Now, we already talking about money.

[00:07:54]>> We started hard.

[00:07:55]>> So, uh short answer, yes, it totally paid off. Uh one note uh to it as well.

[00:08:04]what we see now we are within the budget that which is also very uh positive uh note for us but I really want to stress that uh this week has been or this year actually has been an extraordinary experience. We are very proud together with EBU and OF and as host city to be the host city of such an extraordinary event like we did uh 11 years ago and uh it's yes it's a big TV show but I think the the city really showed what we are able to do how infrastructure work but also how the mood was always very high and I think what we proved as well is how weather resistant the fan base and the the weene and their guests are actually because uh yeah the weather could have been better but uh don't blame us for this because you blame us you can blame us for everything but not for the weather actually.

[00:09:03]It was an extraordinary experience and uh apart from the financial aspects, it really paid off for the city because uh the spirits were so high and it was a real honor and and and also pleasure to be part of this uh wonderful endeavor actually.

[00:09:22]>> And is there is there a difference between the Eurovision Song Contest and other major events that the Vienna is hosting? Is there something you could share with us?

[00:09:31]Oh, we we host a lot of big conventions and and and meetings, but they're of course more intimate. So that's not so uh visible in the city. So maybe this is the biggest different difference. So uh uh your vision is not just limited to the venues, it's all over town. Uh people are celebrating. Uh twothird of the Vish people are uh completely excited about your vision. uh and you you really could feel this power and this wave during this week and uh I think that that made a lot of the success uh what we can say now uh of this week and the events here in but also all over the town all over town.

[00:10:18]>> What do you think? What could this Eurovvision Song contest mean for Vienna in the long term looking forward? You know, you you always have to prove what you are stating about your city and we everybody knows we are a global hub for classical music and very often aspects that we are one of the youngest cities in Europe that we are very contemporary modern city pop culture as it is sometimes overshadowed by this huge image of high culture and classical culture and I think uh your vision really adds up to is a more contemporary facets of the city and again a proof that we are able to participate and organize such a global event >> and we are able to party. We will show that tonight.

[00:11:09]>> So we have a moment for some questions.

[00:11:12]Okay, you're ready to party but maybe you want to ask some questions. We don't have so much time like yesterday or the night before but we have some time. So, we'll start there in the third row, please.

[00:11:26]>> Hello. Thank you very much. Uh, my name is Antonio Sanchez with EF, the Spanish News Agency. Uh, Mr. Green, uh, the president of the of the Spanish National Broadcaster uh, reacted to your comment about the potential uh, comeback of Russia to Eurovision uh, saying that that could be a insult to European values. uh could you react or do you want to react to this reaction and uh more important could you elaborate a little bit about this eventual coming back of Russia? Could this happen under the current circumstances of the ongoing war of aggression in Ukraine? Thank you.

[00:12:04]>> Yeah, I'm afraid um uh my great friend there has been rather reading some misconstrued stuff in in the press. So, let me be very clear. There are no conversations going on on the return of the Russian broadcast to Eurovvision.

[00:12:17]There are no plans around for that to happen.

[00:12:22]So we move on maybe here in the first row please >> from the a question to here um are you disappointed or happy about the number of people who saw the semi-finals via >> I'm very happy a lot of people followed the semi-finals and please wait for the final numbers that we will publish in the next couple of hours or face and you will be happy too. Let me promise that.

[00:12:59]>> So we move on to the next question. Name and outlet please.

[00:13:02]>> Of course.

[00:13:04]So Gab Rush from radio television of United. My question is actually two short questions. One's for Mr. Green and one's for her Ketner. So my question is how many security staffs are actually working? Donald doesn't need accurate number just expectations and how many tourists are in this moment in Vienna staying do you have any uh expectation or do you have any sort of data of that we have an estimate for the tourists additional tourists about 90,000 additional people we will know at the end actually we see all the monthly results in mid of June so this is an estimation uh exant about 90,000 additional uh guests in the city. It's a long weekend actually, so we are well booked.

[00:13:51]Uh but these are the numbers for additional guests.

[00:13:55]>> And I'm afraid your second question is a question for the security services. It's not something by its very nature they would share with me.

[00:14:02]>> Okay. So we'll take the next question here in the third row, please.

[00:14:07]>> Hi Johns from the Dutch TV guy. Martin, a lot has been said about voting this week. You introduced new measures in December. Of course, you've alluded this week that we can't know all the measures because that, you know, invokes security, but you've had two successful semi-finals this week thanks to the hosts of Broadcaster here as well. Can you for fans who were on the fence tonight whether their vote matters after seeing two skewed tele votes where active groups really took that over, can you confirm that those measures have already taken effect this week in successful ways to invoke extra trust that their vote matters tonight? Well, as you might imagine, I'll take a little bit of issue with some of what you said there, but the most important thing is that that we have a a validated and fair vote this week. We're very happy with it. We're also really pleased with the return of the juries. It's worked really well. Um, and I'm pleased now that we have larger juries. We've also insisted on the diversity of those juries, the gender balance of those juries, and uh that has all worked really well, too.

[00:15:04]So, you know, I'm rather hopeful that when we get a little bit of sleep and crunch the data and things like that, we'll be able to say that everything we put in place worked. Uh, but, you know, it don't it ain't over until several ladies sing. So, give us some time and and we'll come back to you and I'm very hopeful.

[00:15:22]>> Can you specifically say something to those fans who will watch tonight and are on the fence of whether their vote matters to encourage them to >> Oh, yeah. Well, no. Well, absolutely. He has always always said you know a vote is true and fair and secure but also this is about expressing yourself about music at the end of the day. This is this is engagement about music right and we all have passionate views of music.

[00:15:45]Uh and the way to make sure that everybody agrees with you uh is to vote.

[00:15:51]Uh so you know join in uh help us share it uh express your opinion and and more than that you know enjoy the show right whether you vote or not right enjoy the show it's it's it's a terrific brilliant wonderful heartfelt show uh you know with with true emotion. It's a it's a an unbelievable piece of spectacle. Um, and just for a moment, well, maybe four and a half hours, maybe close the curtains to the outside world and dream that something else is possible.

[00:16:26]>> So, we have some time for one last question here in the audience and then I have two more here on the tablet. Please go ahead.

[00:16:33]>> Thank you. My question for Ingred, please. Um, Ingred, we had about 3,000 people march by around 500 meters that way this afternoon um saying that Austria should not be hosting the Eurovvision um and criticizing OF. Um, I'm just wondering, do you hear that message and do you have a response to to to that protest this afternoon, please?

[00:16:52]>> You know, everybody has his opinion.

[00:16:55]That's uh the uh nature of democracy.

[00:17:00]And as for this night, we would really like for a couple of hours to have music have the the whole, you know, uh, attention at this Eurovvision Song Contest. Everybody's heard. Everybody has his right to to say his opinion tonight. The mi, it's the musicians to take the voice and the stage. And that's what I want to say about this. Thank you.

[00:17:33]>> So, there's a question here on our iPad by Benedict for Miguel Kun. Why were no contest credits shown at the end of the semi-finals? Are they planned for the final?

[00:17:45]>> Uh, we just didn't do that because uh it would have taken a very long time.

[00:17:50]There's so many people u taking part in this uh show experience. Uh, of course we will show the credits after the uh finale tonight.

[00:18:01]>> And then there's one last question for Martin.

[00:18:04]Is Martin satisfied with the direction the competition is taking? Does he still think the contest truly preserves the spirit of love, peace, and understanding? Martin?

[00:18:15]>> Yes.

[00:18:16]But yeah, I do. I really do. Uh uh I I like I've said all week there is there is a strong argument that says that as the world gets more complicated around you, you need you still need to know that there is a space where we can show uh that humanity can actually be positive and willing and thoughtful to each other and I and I think you know that's why arguably we needed these spaces forever more. or Eurovvision for 70 years has been a place that gave voice to the voiceless and harbored the disingen the the disenfranchised and it celebrates those communities and it it celebrates those communities while too many people are not trying to do that and long may that continue and here's to the next 70 years >> great Martin thank you so much for this for these words um I want to invite you because next to this panel there will be uh the Marcel Bessons Awards. So stay here. And um I want to say thank you.

[00:19:18]Thank you to Norbert Ka, to Martin Green, Ingret Toner, and Mik Co. And thank you for being here. Thank you so much.

[00:20:22]Eurovision Song Contest.